Railway cross-tie



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RAILWAY GROSS TIE.

No. 456,344. Patented July 21, 1891.

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A; E. ROBERTS.

RAILWAY CROSS TIE.

No. 456,344. PatentedJuly 21, 1891.

' NITED STAT S ALBERT E. ROBERTS,

OF NORVALK, OHIO.

RAILWAY CROSS-TIE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,344, dated July 21,1891.

Original application filed April 5, 1890, Serial No. 346,655. Dividedand this application filed August 15, 1890. Serial No. 362,059. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. ROBERTS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norwalk, county of Huron, State of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Railway Cross-Ties; and I dohereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to whichit pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to railway cross-ties made, preferably, of metal,and its object is to make a strong and enduring tie that will absolutelyprevent the spreading of the rails, and that may be applied to themwithout the use of spikes or of any bolts except at the meeting point oftwo rail-sections.

The accompanying drawings show my invention in the best form now knownto me; but obviously other forms than those here shown might be used andthe details of construction varied or changed within the skill of a goodmechanic to adapt it to varying conditions or locations withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, as set forth in the claims atthe end of this specification.

Some of the features described and shown herein are also described,shown, and claimed in my application for a patent on railway cross-ties,Serial No. 346,655, filed April 5, 1890, of which this application is adivision, and such features are not therefore claimed herein.

Figure 1 is a plan View of a short section of railway-track embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a view in sectional elevation of a portion of oneof the cross-ties. Fig. 3 is a similar View of a portion of a cross-tieformed with plates or flanges for making a fish-joint connection atabutting rail ends. Fig. 4 is an end view of the tie shown in Fig. 2.Fig. 5 is a similar view of the tie shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is aperspective view of the two main parts or sections of my tie. Fig. 7 istwo side Views of my locking plug or key. Fig. 8 is a plan View of thesame. Fig.9 is an enlarged horizontal section of the plug inserted inits socket. Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the tie. Fig.11 is a perspective view of a key for locking the plug against rotation.

Mytie is composed of two main parts or sections A A, preferably madejust alike and so shaped as to be reversible or interchangeable, asdesired. Near the ends of each section are raised chairs a a, upon whichthe rails B B are seated. Clip-lugs b b are formed upon the chairs andsuitably shaped to take over and embrace the rail-base flanges. It willbe observed that these clip-lugs both point in the same direction on thetie-section, the lug b embracing the outer flange of one rail, while thelug b embraces the inner flange of the other rail, and that the lugsoverhang or project about half their width beyond the inner faceof thetie-section, so as to overlap the other section and stand inline withthe opposing lugs on that section.

A vertical rib or strengthening-flange 0 extends along the inner face ofthe section, following its irregular contour. This face is shaped toform inclined interlocking hooks c c at any point between the rails, butpreferably near them, and the hooks when closed together absolutelyprevent the separation of the two sections unless they are movedendwise. r

At the center of each section there is formed a half-socket D for thereception of a looking plug or key E, so shaped that when the twosections are fitted together and interlocked a perfect socket isformed,in to which the plug may be driven tightly. When the plug isdriven into the socket, the sections of the tie are forced endwise intovery firm clamping contact'with the rail-bases, as the plug-bearing faceof each section, lies on that side of the socket which is in thedirection of the open faces of the clip-lugs.

The socket is preferably made conical and the plug E properly shaped tofit into it and force all the parts home. In order to prevent this plugfrom becoming loosened and possibly working out of the socket, it isprovided with two projecting lugs c c on its lower end, and these lugswhen the plug is in place stand just through the tie and in the plane ofits lower surface. The socket has grooves (1 along its sides, whichpermit the lugs e e to pass through when the plug is inserted. Bypartially rotating the plug the lugs e 6 will be moved out of line withthe grooves, and therefore will prevent the withdrawal of the plug untilit is turned back.

On the lower face of the sections I prefer to form cam-faces or inclinedsurfaces (1 (Z for the lugs to bear against, so that in rotating theplug it is drawn more firmly into the socket. In order to preventpossible accidental rotation of the plug, I insert keys F into thegrooves d and drive them down until their lower ends stand through thesections and directly in the path (or across it) of the lugs on theplug. I prefer to make theinner face of these keys concave, as shown inFigs. 9 and 11, so that the sharp edges will bite into the plug andsecurely lock everything in place. On top of the plug I form a squareshank e, which may be engaged by a wrench when it is turned, and Iprefer to form an overhanging head 6 on the shank to aid in removing theplug from the socket.

In order to dispense with the loose fishplate joints which are nowcommonly used to connect the abutting ends of the rails, and which arethe source of endless trouble in railways because of their liability towear or shake loose, I shall form some of my ties with projectingflanges G G upon the clip-lugs b 1) upon one or it may be upon both endsof the tie-sections. These flanges it into the hollow of the railbetween the head and base in a manner precisely similar to the approvedstyle of fish-plates and are provided with elongated bolt-holes throughwhich the clamping-bolts may pass to secure them to the abutting railends, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 5 by full lines and in Fig. (5 bydotted lines. By thus forming the fish-plates integral with the metaltie a firm solid support for the rail ends is secured, and one that willnot easily become worn or shaken loose.

Other means than bolting maybe employed to secure these fish plates, ifdesired. I merely show the bolts for the reason that they are simple andeasy of illustration.

WVhat I claim as new and usefnl,and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A railway cross-tie composed of two main interlocking parts, eachhaving cliplugs constructed with longitudinal extensions thereon, whichform fish-plates, with suitable means for securing the said fish-platelugs or extensions and included rails together, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination of a railway cross-tie composed of two main parts orsections having clip-lugs to embrace the rail-bases and arranged to moveoppositely in the act oi. clamping the rails, means for holding the sections clamped together, a recess formed between the two sections, halfin each section, and grooved at its sides, and aplug or key to fit saidrecess with the lugs formed at its lower end, which pass through thegrooves and when the plug is rotated pass out of the plane of thegrooves and bear against the bottom side of the tie, substantially asand for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

The combination of a railway cross-tie composed of two main parts orsections constructed and operated substantially as described, a conicalrecess formed between the two sections,'half in each section, andgrooved at its sides, and a plug to fit said recess and having lugswhich pass through the grooves and when turned lock against the bottomof the tie, with keys which are driven into the grooves and projectbeyond the lugs, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbe fore setforth.

4. The combination of a railway cross-tie composed of two main parts orsections constructed and operated substantially as described, and a plugfitting into a recess formed between the two sections and provided atits lower end with projecting lugs which bear against the bottom side ofthe tie,with inclined or cammed surfaces on the bottom of the tieopposed to the lugs, substantially as and t'or the purpose hereinbeforeset forth.

5. A railway cross-tie composed of two main parts or sections havingopposing cliplngs on their ends to engage the rail-bases, with aprojecting flange-plate formed on the extremity of each clip-lug andadapted to fit against the stem of the rail, said flange-platesembracing the abutting ends of the rail and secured thereto to form afish-plate joint, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand, this 11th day of August,1890, at Jackson, Michigan.

ALBERT E. ROBERTS.

In presence of- ;l. (l. FUQUA, W11. A. SKINKLE.

